The story begins in 1747 with their ancestor, who decided to invest in a piece of land to work the vine. With great fascination and curiosity, he cultivated the vine to harvest its fruit, the grape. This passion has been passed on from generation to generation until today. Seven generations later, the Domaine works 13 hectares of vines, spread over 5 communes and a hundred or so plots. Today, Michel Fonné has been at the head of the estate since 1989. He himself took over from his uncle René Barth, a winegrower, by adding the land of his parents, winegrowers.

Grand Cru

Mandelberg, literally translated from the German “hill of almond trees”, is one of the 51 Grands Crus recognized today in Alsace. Located above Mittelwihr, it covers 22 hectares with a southern exposure. Of great nobility, the wines from Mandelberg develop a pronounced fruitiness and an exquisite finesse; excellent wines for ageing.

Winemaking

The work in the vineyard is spread out over the whole year and starts with pruning (double Guyot), followed by the descent of the woods, arching, green work (de-budding) and manual tying-up. At the same time, work the soil is done and the grass is mown regularly while limiting soil compaction. Grapes are usually harvested in September and October. The harvested fruits are introduced into a pneumatic press where the juice is slowly extracted and then sent to a wooden cask. The most important stage then begins: fermentation. This degradation of sugars into alcohol, accomplished by the natural yeasts contained in the grapes, takes place over a few months. The wine thus obtained is then matured on fine lees until bottling.

Tasting notes

To the eye, this wine has a beautiful pale yellow color. On the nose, one discovers a subtle blend of passion fruit and quince: a beautiful bouquet is expressed. On the palate, we appreciate a nice balance which starts with roundness notes to give way to a nice freshness at the end of the mouth. This wine combines power and finesse with subtlety. On older vintages, we can distinguish almond aromas.

Food pairing

This rich, semi-dry wine goes well with fish en croûte or salmon gravlax. We also appreciate the Riesling Grand Cru Mandelberg with fruit pies.